The ‘Elite’? . . . Hmmmmm!

We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future. — John F. Kennedy

In my own battle against the financialisation of Life by the rich and powerful I resist with every fibre of my being reference to ’The Elite’. Dictionaries have formal definitions of the word ‘elite’ which make me even more entrenched in my stance:

Oxford English Dictionary – The choice part of a flower (of society, or of any body or class of persons.)

Merriam Webster’s – A successful and powerful person.

Collins – The most powerful, rich, or talented people within a particular group, place or society.

The ‘choice part’, ‘successful’, ‘talented’ they may be but what is their contribution to Society in the grand scheme of things?

William Shakespeare, Jane Austin, Mark Twain and in the present JK Rowling are, to my mind, true ‘Elitists’, not only in the quality of their work but also that it contributes something positive to Society by lifting and touching the hearts and souls of millions across the globe.

The likes of Jamie Dimon CEO of J P Morgan, Jes Staley of Barclays, Michael L. Corbat of Citigroup, Ross McEwan of RBS, Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England and Janet Yellen, Chair of the Federal Reserve in no way evoke the same feelings of respect and awe.

And yet they are amongst this supposed group of the ‘Elite’, along with 62 of the richest billionaires who, according to the new Oxfam report, own as much wealth as the poorer half of the world’s population, a staggering indictment of 21st century abuse. I could not readily name 10% of these mysterious ‘Elite’ people, let alone identify them if shown pictures of them and yet they hold such sway over the rest of us.

They have immersed us in a global financial system which is enslaving Society in debts of staggering proportions by restricting and controlling the amount of money in circulation, keeping us in a state of constant financial repression.

They have now commandeered the political arena whose members are increasingly viewed as ‘Elite’. Here, it seems to me that the word is defining the ability to remain above the law and free of any accountability for a total lack of responsibility to the people who elect them to power.

As more secret trade deals are made public, designed to further restrict our say on how we run our lives, many are now demanding to know what positive contribution these ‘Elite’ are making to Society?!

However, we should not feel as though we are being singled out as this beautiful Planet, the sole provider of everything that sustains Life here, is also experiencing the same murderous treatment. We are the only species in existence to poison our own food, as the oceans are made ever more toxic with what is poured into them, without any move for regulation.

Is it any wonder we hear only last week that hundreds of Britons – and many others I am sure – are caught trying to join jihadis? The young are not fools (they are wholly indebted by an expensive education) and their sense of frustration at the ongoing lack of worthwhile future employment, or owning their own home, demand some means of fighting back against this ‘Elite’. Terrorism may not win in the end but it provides a sure sense of some satisfaction that the current shield of ‘Elitism’ is being dented.

Unlike Shakespeare and Jane Austin, this ‘Elite’ have nothing to offer Society, indeed they take with such wanton greed that they are delivering us to our collective destruction. Only the Planet will survive and they seem not to understand that they too will be included in that destruction, so total will it become if this financialisation of Life continues.

‘Elite’ is regularly used by the media, deliberately so in my opinion, as part of a global propaganda campaign to make the majority feel inferior, helpless and therefore suppressed. We are constantly told that global cyber/terror attacks are imminent and then left without any further explanation, producing a sense of helplessness, foreboding and dependence upon the state. The precise reason this propaganda tool (one of many) is used so frequently and with such prominence.

If this media ‘Elite’ relates to those excelling at bringing the majority to its knees and the total destruction of this planet, through unregulated Capitalism, then I agree. I will not, however, be coerced into living my Life by the claustrophobically narrow confines and values of financial management alone.

The most effective antidote to propaganda is always the truth. We release ourselves from helplessness by simply becoming aware. In that awareness we grow a greater understanding and with that understanding we invoke change.

Until the next time

Thinking from his Book: Global Magna Carta. Returning Power to the 99% . . . If They Want It! By J T Coombes